


My not so Distant Memory

by donuthead



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adult Sasuke, Age Difference, Ancient History, Boy Love, Boyfriends, Canon Universe, Confessions, Cute, Destiny, Drama, Falling In Love, Feelings, Fluff, Fluffy, Gay, Happy Ending, Kissing, Konoha - Freeform, Long lost love, Lost Love, Love Confessions, M/M, No Smut, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Canon, Reincarnation, Seme Uchiha Sasuke, Uke Uzumaki Naruto, adult Naruto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donuthead/pseuds/donuthead
Summary: For three years now, Sasuke Uchiha has been having very strange dreams. He witnesses memories that are not his own, yet somehow connected to him in every way.Frustrated by these haunting nightmares, Sasuke embarks on a journey to uncover mysterious civilizations dating back 800 years ago. And depending on what, or who he finds, may unlock the secret he's been shrouded from his entire life, and discover the person he was chasing for all those years.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	My not so Distant Memory

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [wunderkammer](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/703861) by Walk-In Closet/ Fushitasu.. 



> Some things that might be helpful to know while reading.  
>   
> This is a reincarnation story.  
>   
> In this one, the age gap is a little bigger, with Naruto being 17, and Sasuke being 22.  
>   
> I changed a lot, if not all of the stuff that happens post 4th great ninja war so it fits with the story, so events that don't match with the anime were most likely done on purpose.  
>   
> This story is told mainly from Sasuke's point of view.

_“A place where someone still thinks about you is a place you can call home.” – Jiraiya_

“Can you believe it? This expedition has a very high chance of success in discovering something new. And to believe that a whole 800 years ago, there were people like us, with exceptional elemental powers roaming the streets? They had the power to destroy whole civilizations, and start wars just with the flick of their wrists, and move mountains with just-”

“Orochimaru, for the love of Kami-sama, I’ve heard this story for the thousandth time today. Can you just shut the fuck up already?”

“Ma ma, so rude Sasuke-kun, and to think I allowed you on this expedition after you nearly begged me to go…” 

“Tch.” Sasuke rolled his head to the right, and decided to favor staring out the open window over listening to the snakes crap about ninja civilizations and other shit that didn’t really concern him. At least not what he was after in the first place. 

The soft breeze swept through the open frames of their black jeep, the tires, worn from age and use, tripping over small rocks that jutted out of the winding dirt road. Big, leafy trees towered on either side, but spaced out enough to let the sun’s soft golden rays filter through. The warmth from the midday sun warmed his face, and the cloudless sky helped to ease his mind.

He was brought out of his daze when a pasty hand oh-so-rudely waved itself in front of his face.

“Oi, Sasuke-kun, did you hear me? I said we’re here.”

Slowly, he sat up in his seat, just as the trees were beginning to thin out. As he adjusted his eyes to the afternoon glare, a clearing slowly appeared its way through the barrier of trees. Around it was a large wall, decayed from years of weathering, until it was just a mountain of stone. After passing through, Sasuke took a good look around at where they’d be staying for the next few months. All around him were excavating machines, digging hard to unlock the next discovery. Men and women of all ages were bustling about, marking down observations or ordering others around (Sasuke snorted when he saw that they were still forced to wear those hideous purple bows as part of their uniform). Except for the few ruined buildings that still stood, the land had been entirely torn up to make way for the next project. At the far end of the village, Sasuke spotted a large red building, towering over the rest. It looked fairly new, and compared to the others, which were practically in shambles, very out of place. Behind it, stood a looming mountain, marking the edge of the village. On its face, a line of crude carvings protrude, their features so worn Sasuke probably wouldn’t have been able to tell they were faces if Orochimaru hadn’t already informed him in one of his five hundred rants. 

They parked in a small yard around a hundred meters from the red building, next to a silver SUV that Sasuke could have only assumed was Kabuto’s. As they got out of their Jeep, and unloaded their luggage, Orochimaru turned around to the left, and nodded his head towards a smaller excavation site farther away than the rest.

“Over there at the private digging site is where I will be working. I have heard news from Kabuto about how one of the ruins there used to house one of the most powerful ninja in this village, and if we were to discover anything about him, I’d want to be there when it happened.”

Sasuke, who choose to listen to the clanging of the machines rather than the snake’s hideous voice (it still gives him the creeps sometimes), lazily lolled his head around, and asked,

“So what do we do now?”

The man at his side glanced around at their surroundings. 

“Hmmm, Tsunade said she would send someone down to pick us up, although I don’t know quite where he is at the moment. Ah! We’re down here!”

Sasuke followed Orochimaru’s gaze and waved up to the red building, where he saw a young man leaning up against the railing. As the boy looked down, he caught Sasuke’s gaze for a fraction of a second. Even from very far away, Sasuke could see that he had the bluest eyes he had ever encountered. It sent a shock down his spine, and he almost forgot to breathe, until he found himself almost choking for air. That one moment felt like it lasted for an eternity, and he couldn’t help but stand in his place, staring at where the stranger had just been.

The sound of rushed footsteps against soft grass brought him back to reality, as their welcomer came rushing across the lawn to greet them.

“Ah! Orochimaru-san! It’s been a long time! Sorry I wasn’t out here when you came in, Baa-chan never told me when exactly you guys would be arriving, so I wasn’t sure when to come out.”

“That’s quite alright Naruto-kun. It has been a while, hasn’t it? It is good to see that you’re looking healthy. Speaking of Tsunade, is she here today?”

“No. Unfortunately she had a last minute patient call in a city quite a ways away, so she probably won’t be back for awhile. Is this your partner Baa-chan was telling me about?”

Sasuke brought his attention back to the conversation at hand, when he heard his name mentioned in the conversation.

“Ah yes, this is my disciple, Sasuke-kun. He doesn’t know anything about the excavations going on here, but nevertheless begged me to tag along.” Orochimaru wore the biggest shit eating grin a snake could wear, as he raised his hand to gesture as if he were some item on display.

Sasuke allowed a low growl to surface from his throat. 

“Don’t treat me like your toy, you snake.”

Choosing to ignore his last statement, Orochimaru continued with his introductions.

“Sasuke-kun, this is Naruto-kun. His grandmother is the owner of this land that we will be doing our research on. We will be here a while, so please try to get along.”

The boy in front of them stuck his hand out in a friendly manner, and bowed his head ever so slightly in his direction.

“Sasuke-san, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I hope we can become good friends!”

Now that he was facing him, Sasuke allowed himself to really lock in his features. Naruto was tall. He was a couple inches shorter than himself, but still a lot bigger than you would expect from someone his age. He had a hair full of floppy blonde locks more golden than the sun itself, that bounced whenever he moved his head. His skin was nicely tanned from years playing in the sun, and his cheeks each adorned three whisker marks that curved whenever he smiled (when he did, which was a lot, it was always genuine, and showed off his gleaming row of teeth). But that wasn’t even his most prominent feature. What stood out to Sasuke were his eyes. Blue orbs, brighter than the sky, bluer than sapphire, clearer than any ocean. He could feel himself be washed away just by looking at them, in a never ending abyss that swirled for an eternity. In other words, they were absolutely beautiful. 

Sasuke felt his heart start to beat faster and his mind whirl, as if it were trying to tell him something, but just didn’t know how to say it. As he stared into Naruto’s eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder to himself,

‘ _Where the hell have I met this kid before?’_

Grabbing the over-enthusiastic hand, Sasuke, pushed aside his growing sense of bewilderment, let a small smile grace his lips, something he hadn’t done in years.

“The same goes for me.”

~

  
The soft squish of grass beneath their feet was barely audible over the whir of the machines as they made their way to the large tower (Sasuke decided that was a more suitable name, since the label building seemed a little too humble for the size).

“Ma Naruto-kun, it still looks fantastic every time I’ve seen it. You do a great job at keeping it in good shape,” marvelled Orochimaru, as they entered the front entrance and took a look around. They were standing in a large yet barren room. Soft rays from the afternoon bled through the windows on all sides, tinting the walls a soft golden hue.

Sasuke’s lips twisted into a perplexed frown. There was something extremely weird and familiar at the same time about the structure, and he wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

“Isn’t this building over 800 years old? How is it still virtually intact?”

Naruto looked back with a newfound sparkle in his eye, as the edges of his mouth curved into an even wider smile.

“Ah, well, you see, most of this structure is a replica, since by the time we discovered it, most of the beams were quickly deteriorating, and barely able to hold up even just the support of its own weight. There was only one room that was kept in mediocre condition, so we left it be.”

Their little tour was suddenly interrupted when the pound of rushed footsteps turned around the corner of the corridor where they just came in.

“Orochimaru-san! Why did you take so long! Please hurry to the site. We had to start without you, but we can’t keep working on our own for now.”

“Apologies Kabuto. Lead the way, I want to get filled in on everything right away.” And with that, the two of them abandoned Sasuke to fend for himself. 

_Tch. Leave it to the snake to completely forget about me when it comes to his research._

Naruto was the first to break the thick silence.

“Sorry about that. Every time he comes, Orochimaru-san is always so immersed in his work, I sometimes have to remind him to eat! If you want, I can show you all the rooms.”

“Hn, alright.”

The sounds of Sasuke’s shoes against the hardwood echoed against the walls, as they walked in a long, but comfortable silence. As Naruto led him around the first floor, Sasuke took the time to get to know his host a little better.

“Orochimaru mentioned something about a woman named Tsunade. Is she the one that owns this land?”

“Baa-chan? Yes she does. Well, not until recently. My parents used to own this place, but she ended up having to take it over.”

Sasuke didn’t even need to ask to know what had happened. The pain that resonated in his eyes was identical to what he felt when his parents passed away. It amazed him how this kid didn’t break down just thinking about it, as he would often do.

“Where is she now?”

“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know, huh, since you aren’t from around here. Well, Baa-chan is a very famous doctor in these parts, so she often gets calls from people all over the place, since there aren’t any hospitals in these rural areas, and many people can’t afford the fees anyways. She was just called to a patient a few districts over, so she will probably be gone for close to a month, since it takes a very long time to travel over there.”

“Ah.”

Sasuke found something about the kid in front of him very peculiar.

“If there aren’t any schools around here, then what do you do in your free time? Kids should be getting their education somehow.”

Naruto looked deeply offended by that comment.

“I’m not a kid, I’m seventeen! And for your information, Baa-chan thought that I was smart enough to stop tutoring last year, so I’m smarter than you think. Teme.”

_Ba-dump_

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat. Normally, he probably would have retorted with some witty comeback, but he was too shocked to even be offended in the first place. Where the hell had he heard that name before?

“Sasuke-san? Are you alright? Sasuke-san!”

He was brought out of his stupor to see a very panicked Naruto flapping his hands in front of his face.

He very firmly grabbed his wrists and lowered them down so they wouldn’t accidentally break his nose.

“Hn. I’m alright. Let’s keep going.”

“Ok, if you insist.”

As they continued their journey throughout the building, Sasuke came to a sudden realization. 

“Hey, you never answered my question before.”

“That’s because you were insulting me by calling me a kid!”

“Just calling it as it is.”

Naruto looked like he was about to explode, but opted to puff his cheeks and stick his tongue out instead.

_He’s pretty cute._

“I don’t really do much. I’m in charge of taking care of the building when Baa-chan isn’t here. But even then, all I really do is clean it and keep it organized.”

“Still, that’s pretty impressive for a kid like you.”

“I told you I’m not a kid!”

Sasuke couldn’t exactly figure out why, but something about aggravating Naruto was very pleasing and satisfying to him.

“Anyways, where are the original ruins of the building?”

Naruto was brought out of his pout and turned around to face Sasuke, seemingly forgetting about the earlier insult.

“Ah, it’s upstairs. We’ll have to go back to where we came from first. Follow me.”

The two of them walked out into the sun and up a set of stairs winding up the side of the building that Naruto was standing on when they first arrived. Once they reached the top, they walked through another barren corridor, until Naruto stopped at the last door on the right, Sasuke just a few feet behind him. 

“It’s in here.”

Naruto pushed open the door to reveal a circular room. Windows covered the back half, letting soft rays of sunlight drift in. In front, was a large desk, with the remains of a sign hanging on the front. One the left hung a row of six picture frames, their paintings so faded you could barely decipher the faces. Surrounding the desk rested piles of piles of books, papers, and scrolls in all shapes and sizes. The final thing to the right was a simple wooden bookshelf, but instead of holding books, it was covered in small little relics, proudly displayed by whoever had collected them. 

_It’s not as exciting as I thought it would be._

Sasuke stepped forward until he was in the middle of the room, and continued to look around, hoping to catch something more interesting than when he first looked.

“It’s-”

“Boring isn’t it?”

Sasuke swivelled his head back to see Naruto looking out one of the windows, with a serene expression on his face.

“But, despite how it may not be pleasing to us, I think it still holds a very precious meaning to somebody else. When my parents and I first moved here, we were so amazed at how well kept the room was, so we made it our mission to fix it up and nicely as possible. My father thought that the shelf of items must have belonged to someone who travelled the world, and collected those to show to somebody else that they cared about. When Orochimaru first visited the site, his team was able to figure out that this room was most likely some sort of important office, maybe even to the head of the civilization. The books and scrolls were all important paperwork and official documents and laws, and the picture frames must have been the past leaders. But other than that, they just let it be. There was just one thing they couldn’t figure out however, and that was how the room stayed in such great shape, even after centuries of wear.”

Naruto turned to face Sasuke, with an excited sparkle in his eyes.

“I think because this used to be a village of shinobis, whoever last lived here must have put some sort of spell to keep the room intact, so other people can enjoy this room and look at its treasures just as they did.”

Sasuke let out a soft snort.

“Tch. Spell? How crazy are you? And even if they existed, isn’t it wizards who use spells, not ninjas? Only an usuratonkachi like you could ever believe something as stupid as that.”

_Ba-dump_

Sasuke felt his heart jump again. Usuratonkachi? He could have sworn he had never said that in his entire life, so why was he starting now?

“It’s just a theory! No need to be so mean about it. Teme!”

_Ba-dump_

There was that word again! He had never heard someone call him that before, yet when Naruto said it, it was so familiar, so nostalgic. It was giving him a massive headache just thinking about it. 

As he rubbed his sore temples, Sasuke caught a small glint out of the corner of his eye. On the large desk, rested a beautiful necklace. On it, were two silver beads hanging on a black chain, and in between the two beads was a long turquoise gem.

And in the reflection of the gem, Sasuke saw the exact same man that had been haunting his dreams for the past three years.

~

In two long strides, Sasuke had stormed over to the desk at the front of the room, and harshly planted his hands on the surface, not once taking his eyes off of the blue necklace.

“Um, Sasuke-san, is everything alright? Please be careful around the items. They may be in decent condition but they are still quite fragile. I thought you were going to collapse for a second.”

Sasuke whipped his head around to Naruto, who was tentatively holding his hands in front of him, with a very worried expression on his face. The cold, piercing look in Sasuke's eyes made him flinch back without even realising, and before he could react, Sasuke had roughly grabbed onto his shoulders, causing him to wince from the suddenness, and shoved his face forward until they were only six inches apart (because Sasuke was taller than Naruto, he had to look down to keep the eye contact, which in turn made Naruto even more frightened).

“Do you know what that thing is?! Where did you find it?!”

The edge and volume of his voice made Naruto shiver. The Sasuke in front of him at that moment was not the Sasuke he was walking with just five minutes ago. His eyes showed no emotion except hostility and coldness. As he looked deeper, he saw a flash of another emotion. Was it loss? He couldn’t exactly tell because it was gone the next moment.

As if on cue, Orochimaru unceremoniously swung the door open, causing a storm of dust to swirl into the air. He looked winded, as if he had just ran/slithered (we don’t discriminate) all the way back from the excavation site. Upon seeing the two, he promptly stormed to Sasuke and swiftly pried him off the blond, and stood in between the two, blocking him off from Naruto, as if he were afraid he would attack him again.

“Sasuke-kun, you can’t just attack him like that! He can’t answer all of your questions! Look at him, you’ve completely unnerved him.”

He gestured back to Naruto, who was still staring at Sasuke, completely dumbfounded.

“Don’t do that anymore, not everybody understands your circumstance.”

The pain in his eyes slowly faded to the usual emotionless black. For a moment, he looked completely taken aback, before he came to his senses, almost looking a little dejected.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

And with that, he pushed past the two of them and tramped out to Kami knows where.

Naruto, who was still distressed over his little episode, didn’t have time to react until he had completely vanished. He didn’t have time to be disappointed about the raven’s disappearance however, when Orochimaru turned back to face him, looking extremely exhausted and worn out, as he rubbed his hand against his face, a crude smile barely visible in between his pasty fingers.

“Maa, that Sasuke-kun, always causes me trouble. Apologies Naruto-kun, I probably should have warned you about why Sasuke came with me in the first place.”

~

**Sasuke’s POV**

Almost exactly three years ago, I have been burdened with mysterious dreams that don’t belong to me, yet are connected with me in every possible way. After talking to Karin about it, we came to the conclusion that these are memories from a previous life. I had been having very vague visions ever since I was a kid, very sporadic little bits here and there, and I couldn’t figure out any more than those handful of dreams. I thought nothing of them. Maybe I was going a little nuts from work or something, but nothing else.

Until that day.

Due to an unpaid debt, Orochimaru forced me to come along to this weird exhibition in the Hidden Rain City. Apparently, they were showing off ancient relics from a civilization dating back around 800 years ago. According to the evidence, the civilizations were home to supernatural beings called ninjas/shinobis, who carried mysterious elemental/sealing/bloodline etc. powers, powerful enough to change landscapes. At the exhibit, they showcased the usual boring ass museum shit. Silverware, tools, pottery, weapons, documents, and art from villages all over the five nations (that’s what they claimed, at least). As boring as everything else was, that was also where I saw it.

A black headband, with two long ends to tie on the back of your head. In the middle of the headband was a silver plate, scratched from years of wear. In the middle of the plate, was an etching of an insignia that looked like a spiral of some sort. In the middle of the insignia, was a deep horizontal slash, deeper than the original symbol, cutting straight across, cutting it cleanly in half. And in the reflection of the silver plate, I saw my memories.

Sometime in the ancient past, I was holding that exact same black headband. I saw the visions of a man holding that headband, and he was searching all over for something. At the very end of the hallucination, I saw the silhouette of a man. It was just a flash, and his face was so blurry I couldn’t even make out his features, but it unnerved me so much, I ended up collapsing against the display glass.

Since then, no matter how hard I’ve fucking tried, I can’t seem to get rid of these memories. It’s almost as if they've embedded themselves in my mind, as if they're meant to stay for a reason, and it’s my duty to figure out what it is.

~

**3rd POV**

“And he can’t remember any more than that. So you see, Naruto-kun, the headband that was shown in the display came from a site where they were excavating on the shinobi civilizations. But even still, it is still unclear whether or not that headband actually means anything at all. It could have been a dog’s collar for all we know, since none other like it was found. Even with the slim chances, Sasuke-kun still holds the determination to unearth his lost memories. Afterwards, he came and asked for my help, since he had heard I was a part of the investigations. I let him accompany me to sites all over in case we might find hints about his mysterious visions. Since apparently Sasuke-kun saw the same man in the reflection of this necklace here, there is a good chance it has some sort of connection with his previous visions. EVen so, he is still very unstable about this whole ordeal, so forgive him if he acts a little…”

Orochimaru rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and lolled his tongue out and made a circular motion with his index finger while pointing at his head.

Getting his message, Naruto couldn’t help but giggle at the snake’s childish behavior.

“I think I understand now. Thank you Orochimaru-san.”

~

**Six days later**

Before he knew it, Sasuke found himself walking idly along the edge of a lake, far from the excavation site. The lack of clamor and the still water helped bring peace to his mind.

_Fucking snake. He made all these boasts and promises how he was such a great investigator, and would be discovering things left and right to update me. Haven’t heard even a word from him since. Bastard. Tch._

Sasuke was brought out of his thoughts from the soft padding of feet behind him. Already knowing who it was, he made no effort to stop or turn around.

“Naruto.”

“Sasuke-san.”

The soft breeze brushed past his bangs as Naruto made his way to his side. The soft glow of the evening sun radiated Naruto’s tan skin, giving his face a soft glow.

“Orochimaru-san still hasn’t discovered anything now, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s still taking his sweet time.”

Sasuke’s attention was then brought to the wicker basket in Naruto’s hands.

“Are you here collecting again?”

Naruto responded with a happy nod, and set about with his attention on the ground, humming an indistinct tune as he looked through the rocks.

Despite Naruto’s cheery mood, Sasuke still couldn’t shake off his uneasy feeling.

“Naruto. I have a question about the neckla-”

He was abruptly cut off by Naruto.

“Sasuke-san, I have already told you everything I know about the necklace. I found it one day while I was digging around at one of the sites as a child. That is all.” 

Although he tried his best to look/sound patient, anyone with any sort of social awareness could tell that from the exasperated look clearly spelled out on his face that he was tired of the Uchiha’s possessive bullshit over the relic.

“Please. We tried everything we could. Even after looking at the necklace again you still couldn’t uncover more memories. Try not to focus so much on the necklace, alright? Please look at other rare items too! You can find things here that you probably will never see in the city.”

Sasuke turned to the boy next to him with an incredulous expression.

“Rare? What is? All they are are rocks and shit you found while frollicking around. I can find those in the city anyday.”

Naruto looked so offended, Sasuke had to bite his lip in order not to laugh.

“You teme ( _Ba-dump_ )! I wasn’t just randomly grabbing stuff off the ground, or ‘frollicking’, as you like to call it. I actually put thought when gathering this stuff.”

Sasuke responded with a snort, which only seemed to piss him off more.

“I’m serious! When I first went into the room, I’ll admit, it was extremely boring, despite everybody being so infatuated with it. But one part of the room was never touched, and that was the shelf filled with all those items. Because of its age, I bet a lot was lost during the long gap, so I’m trying my best to fill it back as best as I can. Whoever was there first must have spent a lot of time and travelled many miles to collect their treasures, so this is the least I can do to pay my respects.”

_Hmm. This kid is wise beyond his years. He actually makes a good point. But why would he want to do this?_

“I don’t get it. You're not a researcher, investigator, excavator etc., so why bother doing all of that in the first place, when even Orochimaru considered it purposeless?”

“It’s like I said earlier. When I first came here, my parents were still alive. I remember being completely bored out of my mind when I first saw the room. I mean, what could there possibly be for a 4 year old like me to see in an office room, even if it is 800 years old? I was too young to understand the importance of it. But when I saw the shelf, it gave me a sense that it wanted to be looked at and noticed, as if it was there to be shown off to people. I know it probably sounds stupid to you, and it even still seems strange to me. But I can still connect with the original owner and understand how they felt, so I want to carry on what’s left of their legacy, even if I never know who they were.”

_I kind of get it now. So was the necklace also a part of connecting with the owner? Because it’s strange, it doesn’t look like any of the other items on that shelf. Are even connected at all, or was it just a coincidence?_

His train of thought was immediately interrupted when Naruto’s eyes caught onto something in the ground a few feet away.

“Uwaa! Look at this! I’ve never seen one like it!”

He jogged over to the edge of the water and picked up a large purple crystal about the size of a baseball.

“Wow! We have some on the shelf already, but never this big! Or this vibrant of a purple either! It’s so shiny and smooth too! Yosh, this has got to be the best thing all week! Take a look, Sasuke-san!”

Naruto shoved the gem into Sasuke's face, with eyes sparkling with so much excitement, Sasuke thought he would go blind if he didn’t look away.

“Naru-”

“Sasuke-san, although we are in practically the middle of nowhere, this land offers you wonders the metropolitan could never give to you. Here, we have beautiful skies that shine clear in the day, and sparkling stars at night. We have forests filled with lush green trees and plants, home to many animals. And beautiful lakes filled with crystal clear water. Sitting around and worrying about something not within your grasp is such a waste when you can be enjoying your surroundings. You might even find hints to what you’re looking for!”

Naruto turned back towards Sasuke and gave a suggestive wink, still wearing that bright grin.

“I have nobody here with me, but still. I love this place, and wouldn’t change it for the world. I want you to be able to love it just as much as I do. Can you do that for me?”

Instead of replying, Sasuke opted to hold up the purple crystal against the soft rays as the last drops of sun disappeared into the horizon. It glowed softly against the sun, and tainted his face a soft lavender.

“It’s stunning.”

Naruto gave him a soft smile. It wasn’t as big as the ones before, but this one seemed even more sincere.

“I think we’ve seen enough for today. You look quite exhausted. Would you like to go back and display these on the shelf with me?”

_Ba-dump_

As Sasuke looked at the blonde, he couldn’t help but notice,

“Sure,” he said with the same soft smile.

Naruto’s eyes were the exact same turquoise color as the necklace.

~

As the sun rose higher in the sky, to make way for a new day at the site, Sasuke found himself walking back towards the lake with Naruto. Well, he was being dragged more than lead, since Naruto grabbed his hand without really giving him much of a choice, without any prior warning. The edge of the lake was at the end of the site, where Orochimaru was working, so they had been walking for quite a while when Sasuke finally decided to say something to the over-excited teen.

“So, mind telling me where exactly we’re heading towards, or are we just walking in circles?”

Naruto halted so abruptly Sasuke almost ran right into his back, and stood frozen for a good seven seconds before he facepalmed.

“Gah, that’s right! I never told you where we were going huh? Well, we’re almost there, so it doesn’t really matter if I told you now anyways. Come on!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto tugged his hand and they continued their journey, at a much quicker pace than before. After their conversation the evening before, both seemed to be in a better mood, Sasuke especially, so he let Naruto’s evasiveness slide.

The good news was, Naruto was not lying, and in a few minutes they had reached their destination. A few feet from the edge of the lake stood a dense line of trees, and hidden behind their trunks was a small cliff that served as a barrier to the edge of the site. On the face of the cliff was a cave, its mouth no more than five feet tall. 

“Here we are!”

Naruto stopped walking, and turned back to face Sasuke, his toothy grin sparkling in the sun. He lifted his hand to point at the cave.

“What I want to show you is inside the cave. Follow me!”

_Hn. You say that as if I haven’t been doing it for the past thirty minutes._

Once at the front, Naruto turned back to face Sasuke once more.

“Be careful when walking in here. The rocks are steep and slippery, and it’s quite dark, so I won’t be able to catch you if you fall.”

Naruto was cut off when Sasuke brushed past him and began to walk into the cave, maneuvering through the rocks with ease. He turned back to the stunned teen with his signature smug grin.

“What was that, dobe ( _Ba-dump_ )? It seems the only one here clumsy enough to fall would be you.”

“Wha-at? Why t-teme!”

_Ba-dump_

_Ba-dump_

_Ba-dump_

Naruto was extremely flustered and at a loss for what to say. Something about his embarrassed face gave Sasuke a big amount of satisfaction and enjoyment, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.

Naruto quickly regained his composure, not before muttering a few curses towards his guest under his breath, and followed after Sasuke, albeit much slower.

After around a minute of blindly flailing in the pitch dark, Sasuke could start to make out a faint glow at the end of the path. As they walked closer, the light gradually grew brighter, and once they reached the end of the path, the sight that met them was definitely not for sore eyes.

The two of them were standing in a large opening. The space was around 60 feet wide, and 30 feet tall. On the ground was a large pond, covering around 75 percent of its surface. The water glowed a luminescent blue, sparkling and lighting up the entire space. Crystal stalactites of all colors glistened from the glow of the water, decorating the walls in a pastel rainbow hue. Pebbles of all shapes and colors decorated the ground, reflecting the light from the crystals and the water at the same time, making it seem as if the ground was lighting up of its own accord. In other words, it was breathtaking. It was more beautiful than anything Sasuke had ever seen before, in real life and pictures combined.

He hadn’t even realised his mouth was gaping open until Naruto spoke up, shattering the silence.

“It's beautiful, isn’t it? I found it one day when I was playing hide and seek with my dad. It took him a whole five hours to find me, and when he did, I had fallen asleep on the shore, a pile of crystals buried in my arms and pockets.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but smile at what seemed like such a fond memory. He never really had any as a child, so hearing tales from other’s was the next best thing in his opinion.

As he continued to look around, he caught a good glimpse of Naruto’s face. He was standing at the edge of the water with a serene expression, as if looking into the soft blue glow brought peace to his mind. The light from the water radiated against him, tinting his normally beige face three shades more blue. The light helped to smooth out his already flawless skin, making it look so irresistibly soft. Unconsciously, Sasuke lifted his hand towards the other’s face. He wanted to stroke his cheek, to hold his face, to stare into those vibrant eyes, to taste the sweetness of his unnaturally soft lips-

_Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Ugh, I need to get my act together. Come on Sasuke, you’re an Uchiha, and Uchihas don’t think giddy thoughts like 16 year old girls, let alone over a dobe like Naruto._

He was brought out of his inner monologue when he heard the light squeal coming from the other side of the cave. Apparently, while he had been giving his self-rant, Naruto had walked past him and all the way to the opposite side, where he had been looking for new ‘collectables’.

He bent down to lift up a marbled pink stone around the size of his fist.

“Look at this one Sasuke-san! Don’t you think it looks absolutely gorgeous?”

Unfortunately for this rock, Naruto lost his interest in it as soon as he gained it.

“Uwaa, one of the crystals from the ceiling came loose! I’m going to see if I can reach it. Imagine having something as cool as that on my shelf!”

Naruto proceeded to climb onto one of the more boulder sized rocks at the edge of the pond. After taking a few seconds to stand and balance himself, he leaned forward in an attempt to grab the loose crystal, giving Sasuke a lot of anxiety about his very precarious position.

“Be careful. If you lean too far you’ll fall and hit your head. We can’t have you doing any damage to your brain, now can we? You’re dobe enough as it is.”

_Ba-dump_

Unfortunately for Naruto, Sasuke’s words fell on deaf ears. He ungracefully slipped from atop his perch and landed in the pond with a huge splash.

“Naruto!”

Sasuke ran (or rather, speedwalked) over to where Naruto had fallen in. After a few seconds, a wave of bubbles popped at the surface, then Naruto himself. The water weighed down his hair, so his eyes were completely masked, but that didn’t stop him from flashing his wide grin.

Sasuke couldn’t help but facepalm in exasperation.

“You usuratonkachi.”

_Ba-dump_

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck in typical Uzumaki fashion.

“You need to be more careful! What if you had hit your head? You could have gotten seriously injured.”

“But I didn’t, so it’s fine. And I was able to get the crystal too!”

Naruto held up the sharp gem. It was around a foot long, and every inch of it sparkled a white luminescence. It really was beautiful, just not enough to convince Sasuke, and Naruto knew this.

“Fine, fine. I promise I’ll be more careful next time. Is that good enough for you?”

Sasuke sighed. He had a feeling that this was the most he would be getting out of the blonde, who wouldn’t even remember what he said past five minutes later.

“Fine. As long as you stop and think before you do something so stupid. Now come out. It’s almost lunch time and it would be annoying if you caught a cold.”

“It’s fine, the water’s really warm anyways. Plus, I have a better idea.”

The suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows did nothing to put Sasuke at ease. Before he could even think of backing away, Naruto’s wrist flicked out of the water and firmly grabbed onto his ankle, dampening the fabric. In one smooth motion, he had pulled Sasuke off of his perch and into the water next to him with a splash. 

Ten seconds passed, and there were no bubbles or any signs of Sasuke on the surface of the water. Thinking he had drowned him, Naruto started to panic. He swam around, trying to peer into the blue water, to see if he might be able to catch his silhouette under the surface.

“Sasuke-san? Sasuke-san!”

He was about to go under water to search for him, when suddenly a hand grabbed his leg and shoved him a good eight feet under the surface. He felt the pebbles graze his toes as he choked on mouthfuls of water. He hurriedly swam to the surface, and proceeded to cough out all the water he had swallowed. When he opened his eyes after his fit, he saw Sasuke treading water in front of him, with a huge smirk on his face. 

“What *cough* was *hack* that *wheeze* for?!”

“Hmph, just payback for what you did to me.”

“That wasn’t funny! I thought you had actually drowned!”

Instead of feeling remorse, Sasuke started to laugh. Not his usual halfhearted dry chuckle, but a full laugh. As much as Naruto wanted to laugh alongside him, he was still pretty pissed off from the stunt he pulled.

“Hmph. Nice to see my distress brings you joy, teme.”

The two of them continued to swim around and collect crystals all throughout the day. Lunch had passed by, and when they finally crawled out of the cave, the sun was already starting to set.

Sasuke had forgotten all about the necklace.

~

After a long day of investigating, the excavators were packing up their equipment, excited for a long night’s rest. In the far end, Orochimaru was listening to a full report about the day from Kabuto.

A sound caught his attention off guard. As he brought his attention away from the report, he saw two dripping wet figures making their way back to the red tower.

One had their hands and pockets full with crystals and rocks of all colors and sizes.

The other was doubled over in laughter, teasing the other as he threw his arsenal of pebbles in a last ditch effort to save his dignity.

Orochimaru couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming site.

_I think Sasuke-kun will be alright._

~

_Peace had finally been brought to the five nations. The distant sound of cheering could be heard as the dirtied blade of a sword cut through the final enemy. Chaos roamed the streets as citizens of all ages celebrated their newfound victory. Celebrations went on for days, parties and ceremonies held every night, as the people of the village relished in their win. No more bloodshed, no more sacrifice, no more tears. It was over, they were free, and the people could be happy at last._

_Except for three._

_In the dark basement under the hokage tower, one boy sat chained against the damp brick wall, alone in the darkness._

_Above, you could hear the shouts of another, as they fought their argument for freedom for the chained boy._

_The last, an exasperated leader with a splitting headache, as she tried to shush the piercing wails of the boy in front of her._

_“Why is the verdict black? Together we fought in the war to defeat the enemy! He proved his loyalty at the end, and can prove to be a great asset to protect our village, so why? Being chained for life is the same as being dead!”_

_The leader rubbed her temples in a brash manner, desperate to get rid of her migraine._

_“It’s exactly why Sasuke is so strong that the elders want him locked away! Look_ _Naruto_ _, it wasn’t my decision to begin with, the elders and clan leaders wanted it, and when they vote unanimously, even my vote doesn’t count. Just be grateful he’s not dead.”_

_With a huff, the infuriated boy stormed out of the office, and tramped down the stairs into the cold lower levels, slamming the door so hard the hinges broke off._

_~_

_The weakened boy looked up as the other delicately hugged his frail body._

_“Why do you always go so far to do things for me? I’m nothing but trouble, and better left dead. Everybody thinks so. So why do you go so far for my sake ~~Naruto~~ _ _?”_

_Hearing his sorrowful words, the boy began to cry. The war was over, he was supposed to be happy. But something about this one boy could change him so much, and he didn’t know why._

_“I told you before, Sasuke. You’re my best friend. I promised to bring you back to the village, and after three whole years of blood, sweat, and tears, I finally have you again. I’m not letting anybody take you from me unless they kill me first.”_

_Sasuke could feel his own tears wash down his grimy face. He could feel his eyelids start to close, as his mind started to fall asleep._

_“But you have so much to live for, why would you throw it all away, just for me?”_

_As Sasuke drifted off into his dreams, he heard the soft whisper of a voice as his head hit the soft padding of the boy’s warm embrace._

_“Because I love you.”_

_~_

_As his black coat bellowed in the wind, Sasuke looked once more at his hand. Clenched in his fist was a turquoise gem necklace and a black ninja headband, proudly showing off the Konoha insignia. In the center, a large kunai scratch cut through, symbolizing the defect of a rogue ninja. He could hear the muffled shuffle of footsteps approach behind him, waiting to set him off on his journey._

_“Are you really going to go on your own?”_

_Sasuke turned back to see three shinobi standing just at the great gates to the village. One had a hair of light pink hair, one had spiked up gray hair, and the other had two long pigtails. The faces of all three were so blurry, he couldn’t make out a single feature._

_Sasuke looked at the ground, and when he looked back up to face the three, he had a new found spark of determination in his eyes._

_“Yeah. That dobe can’t be dying out there. I’ll find him if it takes years to do so, just like he did for me.”_

_Although he couldn’t see her face, the shaking of her shoulders was enough to show Sasuke that she was crying._

_The blond woman stepped forward, and rested her hand firmly on his shoulder._

_“Do your best to bring him back._ _Kakashi_ _and I will try our best to hold up the village here, but without him, it could fall apart any second. We’re counting on you, so please hurry.”_

_Sasuke turned around and began his journey down the dirt path. After ten steps out of the village, he looked back, and gave the three one curt nod, and mumbled one last thing, just loud enough for them to hear._

_“You have my word.”_

_Then he was gone._

~

Sasuke sat up with a start. His breathing was rushed and uneven, as he gasped out in ragged breaths. Sweat glistened down his forehead as it dampened his tousled hair and the back of his shirt. It was the first time that he had ever witnessed such detailed memories, and the first time since three years ago that he had seen any at all.

_I knew it. If not just the necklace, there has to be something about this place that’s triggering this._

As he looked out the window, he could see the last of the stars twinkling in the night sky, as the sun rose to birth a new day.

He rose out of bed, hissing when his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floors. He slowly made his way down the stairs, careful not to awaken any of the other residents, and into the kitchen space on the first floor. As he neared the entrance, he could hear the running of water, as Naruto washed the last of the plates to prepare for breakfast. At hearing his footsteps, Naruto glanced back to see who was up so early in the morning, and saw a very distressed Sasuke leaning against the doorframe (mentally and appearance wise).

“I know you’re busy Naruto, but could I get a glass of tea?”

~

After downing his third cup, and being confident that his voice wouldn’t crack, Sasuke decided to speak to the very concerned Naruto, as he stared down at the wall in front of him.

“Last night, I saw more visions.”

“Whaa-aa?”

This was definitely not what Naruto had expected to hear.

“Are you ok with telling me?”

Sasuke drank some more of his tea, contemplating Naruto’s question, before he set down his cup and went back to staring at the wall.

“In the past, my whole life practically revolved around my relationship with this one boy, yet I can’t seem to remember anything about him, let alone his face or name. Apparently as a kid, I was so corrupted, that I ran away from home, and that boy chased me for three years just to bring me back. Sometime during that period, a war broke out, and it was big enough to devastate the entire world. If I remember correctly, the two of us played a large role in the fight. He was considered a hero by the people, and I fought alongside him. At the end of the war though, I was voted to be held prisoner for life. Apparently, the crimes I had committed were too heinous to be overlooked with what I contributed in the war. He fought as hard as he could to lessen my sentence, but the council or whatever wouldn’t budge on their decision.”

Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing.

“In the end, he disappeared. Apparently, that necklace and the headband I found at the museum were the only leads to his whereabouts, if he was alive at all, that is.”

Naruto looked thoroughly intrigued by his new discovery.

“What did that ‘past you’ do after he went missing?”

“I went looking for him. Some people had changed their mind about him because he turned his back on the village for a traitor like me’s sake, and had convinced themselves that he had died. Others like me, however, were sure that he was still alive somewhere. I guess he played a large role in helping to lead the village somehow, and without him, everything was slowly starting to fall apart.”

“The problem is, I can't seem to remember any more than that. Did he end up surviving or not? Was I able to find him? I don’t have the answer to any of these questions, but I probably wasn’t able to.”

Sasuke stared at his reflection in his glass.

“I think right before he left, we made a promise to each other. He told me how now that he had brought me back, he would stay by my side, and would never let us be apart ever again. I had agreed with him, but it seems like I failed to keep my promise. These memories are 800 years old. Even if he ended up surviving somehow, he’s been dead for centuries, so there’s no point in looking for him anymore anyways.”

Sasuke was so lost and conflicted about what to do. He wanted to reach out and learn the truth about these visions, but at the same time, he knew these people were long dead, and he would probably never find closure.

Naruto rose out of his seat and walked to the other side of the table. He gingerly wrapped his arms around Sasuke, who leaned into his warm touch.

“I want to keep looking for him, but other than the headband and necklace, I have no clues about him whatsoever. Did I really make a good decision, letting him protect me? Or was it just for my own selfish desires, because I wanted freedom? I should have just lived with my life’s imprisonment, then none of this would have ever happened-”

“Sasuke-san.”

Naruto took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

“I may not ever know of the burden you carry with these memories, but please don’t let yourself be held down by all of this. I know you’re stronger than this.”

Sasuke let himself completely fall into Naruto arms and closed his eyes.

“I know. I’m sorry, Naruto.”

~

Sasuke leaned up against the red wall, while he unenthusiastically listened to Orochimaru’s update on the investigations on the civilizations.

“It’s been sixteen days since we first got here, so seventeen days since the excavating started, and we finally were able to find some relics from 800 years ago!”  
Contrasting his usual mysterious (scratch that, downright creepy) demeanor, Orochimaru was very excited. He was waving around his notebook and bouncing all over the place. He looked especially funny next to the brooding Sasuke, who was so stiff you could see the rain cloud above his head. 

“Unfortunately for you, certainly not for us though, we were only able to find remnants of silverware and other utensils. But it helps as proof that people actually used to live here. One thing still confuses me though. There are very few records of a civilization ever being here back home, and the utensils’ condition when uncovered were quite deteriorated and damaged, even for 800 years ago. Maybe there was some kind of war that forced everybody to evacuate? Who knows. But even still, if all of these houses and almost all records are destroyed, then why was that red tower still in good condition? And why are there all of the legal documents still there?”

Sasuke had stopped listening to the snake’s rant when his news stopped concerning him and his condition. He knew it was selfish, but to be frank, he didn’t really care about the civilizations, especially not to the extent Orochimaru did. All he wanted was to figure out the end to the excruciating hallucinations (that was why he came in the first place). He understood the long process of uncovering ancient relics, but the lack of information still frustrated him to no fucking end.

After what felt like hours to the raven, Orochimaru had finally finished his report. Unlike Sasuke, he was in a very chipper mood on his findings.

“Well, that’s all for now Sasuke-kun, but I’ll be sure that if Kabuto or I, or anyone for that matter finds something new, you’ll be the first to hear about it!”

Orochimaru threw him one last wink, sending creepy shivers down his spine, and with a flap of his coat, disappeared down the hallway, and back to his digging.

Naruto had been standing a few feet away from the pair, listening to their exchange (well, it was mostly just Orochimaru’s monologue). He could see the endless frustration on Sasuke’s face, and it hurt him deep inside. He couldn’t, and probably wouldn’t ever understand the haunting experiences Sasuke had to go through, but he could understand the agony you feel when something hurts you, and there's nothing you can do about it.

“Um, Sasuke-san, maybe today-”

Sasuke trudged past him, keeping his head faced towards the floor, so his bangs covered his face.

“Sorry, Naruto. I can’t go outside with you today. Let me see the necklace again.”

~

Naruto hopped from side to side, as he made his way along the shore of the lake with his usual wicker basket.

Four days since he had gotten that first update from Orochimaru, Sasuke had just about closed himself off from everybody, including Naruto. While he waited for any other information from the investigation team, he spent the majority of the day just staring at the necklace. Sometimes, he would look at the portraits, or delicately sift through the scrolls, or even pick up the pendant, but the rest of the time he just stared, as if he thought his sheer willpower would open up the gateway to the rest of the memories.

Naruto scratched his head thoughtfully and stared at the lake, as the shimmering waves lapped at his bare toes.

_I’m almost positive that things will end the way we want it to. Sasuke-san is much closer to solving the riddle of those peculiar memories than when he first arrived here, so he must be going in the right direction._

He continued his walk along the rocks, as the afternoon breeze sifted through the trees, making them shiver along with the wind.

_I just hope he will come back out and continue to go collecting and exploring again._

Naruto smiled at the fond memories he had made while Sasuke had been visiting. Although he had just barely met him, their connection was so strong he felt as if he had known the other for years.

_After all, if he gets closure, or for any other reason, he may need to leave soon._

The prospect of his new friend leaving brought a frown to his lips. That was definitely not an idea he wanted to think about.

As he continued to walk along the tiny pebbles, he felt his toes hit something larger. As he looked down, he saw the same amethyst crystal he had found the first time he and Sasuke walked around the lake together. He smiled at the fond memory, and bent down to pick it up. He couldn’t wait to find a home for it on the shelf that he had recently dedicated to the items he found together with Sasuke.

~

The sun glared through the windows of the room, as Sasuke moodily sat at the wooden desk, the necklace resting gingerly in the palm of his hand. He had been there for Kami knows how many days (he hadn’t even made the effort to count in the first place). He was starting to lose faith that they would find something beneficial to his cause.

_Maybe I should just go home. It’s not like Orochimaru needs me for anything anyways. I just came to figure things out for myself._

Sasuke’s self pity was suddenly interrupted when the pound of rushed footsteps echoed down the hall. In a frenzy of crashes, the door slammed open, flaking off a layer of dust (Sasuke almost jumped out of his seat, but of course no one had to know that). Behind the dust revealed a very excited Orochimaru, who looked like he had just ran/slithered an entire marathon.

“Sasuke!”

He was screaming at this point, with a face so bright Sasuke thought he would explode any second (the snake’s sudden display of emotions this past week was starting to freak him out).

“Big news! We found something amazing! Our specific excavation site might actually mean something after all!”

Sasuke was starting to feel dizzy from the pasty hands that wouldn't stop waving themselves all over the place.

“Orochimaru, will you calm the fuck down? Tell me what happened, but without flinging your arms off this time.”

Sasuke’s words did little to change the snake's mood, but he was a little more tranquil after getting the biggest part off his chest.

“Ok, so you know how mine and Kabuto’s specific team was working on the site that was allegedly home to one of the most powerful shinobi who ever lived? Well, we uncovered these very unique weapons that were supposedly his, in almost pristine condition! And what’s even better, we took a quick DNA test on the weapon’s handle in case there were any fingerprints, and the DNA we found matched the exact same sample we found from the headband that you first saw in the museum!”

Sasuke’s eyes widened as large as saucers. As Orochimaru bent down to catch his breath, Sasuke stood out of his seat and made a beeline towards the already opened door. 

“Sasuke-kun, wait!”

The pair quickly made their way down the stairs and to the mentioned site.

“Orochimaru, I want you to tell me everything you know about this item you found.”

The snake lit up at the other’s interest in his findings, even if it was for a completely different reason.

“Of course, Sasuke-kun. Well, like I said before, this object we uncovered was a weapon used by one of the most powerful shinobi from the civilization. Unlike the very common kunai, I think that’s what they're called at least, this is the first we’ve seen of this specific type. Unlike the others, this one has three prongs instead of one, and instead of a white bandaged handle, this one is wrapped in some sort of special seal that we still have yet to decode. What’s even stranger, is unlike the others that broke down over time, these are in mint condition, as if they’re only thirty years old, instead of 800. And as I said before, the DNA sample came back identical as the one found on the first headband you saw, so it’s very likely they have some sort of connection.”

After digesting all of Orochimaru’s new information, Sasuke’s steps gained more determination. He was that much closer to uncovering his secret.

~

As Naruto plucked a golden wildflower that had been growing under the shade of the small forest by the lake, he heard the shuffle of two pairs of footsteps. Looking up, he saw a very rushed Sasuke trying to make his way to the excavation site, and a very winded Orochimaru, who was trying to keep up with the raven’s fast pace and feed him all the details at the same time.

He knew that Orochimaru had probably found something related to Sasuke’s visions, which would mean closure to his memories, which in turn would mean that Sasuke wouldn’t have any more business in this remote area. In other words, he would be going home, leaving Naruto all alone again. Although he had been used to it for the majority of his life, the thought of going back to his solitary lifestyle made him desolate.

As he entered the room that held the shelf he had spent years trying to redecorate, his eyes drifted over to the necklace that had been the captor of Sasuke’s attention for the past weeks. He sat down in the chair facing the desk (it was still a little warm from when Sasuke had been inhabiting it) and set the purple stone down next to the pendant. As the amethyst glared from the sun, Naruto cast his gaze out the window and stared into the never-ending horizon.

~

Once Sasuke reached his destination, he leaned over to hurriedly catch his breath. He had set off in a hurry without taking into account how far he would be walking, and it took a gaping toll on his lungs.

He stood off to the side, as the clamor of investigators and machines worked to transport the kunai onto a different table with the other items (they had to take extra precautions since it was such a special discovery). As the blade caught in the sun, a glare flashed and hit his eye. And in the bright light, Sasuke fell back into his dreams one last time.

~

_Sasuke looked ahead of him in exasperation, as he watched a literal nightmare unfurl in front of his very own eyes._

_“Are you fucking kidding me? We just wasted a huge chunk of energy and stamina fighting Madara, only for him to turn into the goddess of chakra herself. Jesus Christ, I am not getting paid enough for this. Scratch that, I’m not getting paid at all! Fucking crackheads and their political shit. I’m so done with this.”_

_If it weren’t for the fact that the threat in front of them would do it anyways, Sasuke would have stabbed himself from the level of insanity he was reaching._

_Knowing that there would be no way out of this unless they defeated the enemy in front of them, he turned to the (literally) glowing boy next to him._

_“You ready for this, usuratonkachi?”_

_His companion looked onward with a set of determination sparkling in his eyes._

_“Yes!”_

_And with a flash of light, they were off to save the world._

_~_

_“This is fucking bullshit. Even though they are perfectly aware of everything you’ve done, they still think it’s necessary to chain you to a wall like a slave. We did pretty much the exact same things, so why am I considered the world’s greatest hero while you’re shunned as a threat and locked away?”_

_Sasuke looked to the stone-cold ground with a small snort. He would have laughed his usual dry chuckle, but he was too weak from malnourishment. His overgrown bangs tickled his face and neck, hiding his features completely from view._

_“You make it seem so simple usuratonkachi. Don’t forget, I had completely abandoned the village just for my own selfish desires. All it did for me, in the end, was show me how I had been lied to virtually my entire life. I was so mad I wanted to destroy the entire village. I allied with an evil organization and even fought against the five kages, not to mention I tried to end your life on multiple occasions. That doesn’t sound like much of a hero, now does it?”_

_The blonde boy stared at the floor as he kicked the prison bars in frustration, causing a high pitched vibration to echo throughout the basement._

_“Well yeah, I know that, obviously. But you’re also ignoring the fact that you had never really caused any direct harm to the village. All you did was kill Danzo, but he was being a dick to begin with, so he kind of deserved it. And you helped to defeat Ka-”_

_“It doesn’t matter what I’ve done in the war. The elders, clan leaders, and Kages consider me a villain because I had left and opposed a great threat to the village. They clearly don’t care about anything else, and it’s proven from the way you so insistently fought for my innocence all those times. If they don’t listen to the renowned war hero, they certainly won’t listen to anyone else, especially me. According to them, my nickname perfectly represents me as much as yours does to you.”_

_“But you're not a threat! And if the Kages won't tolerate you, and the fact that you deserve the basic human freedoms in return for everything you’ve done, then they don’t deserve me either. Stand up. I’m getting you out of here and you can’t change my mind. Let’s go.”_

_The sound of metal cracking could be heard as the boy disarmed the hundreds of traps and bombs placed around the cell. As the sound of footsteps stopped right next to his feet, Sasuke could feel the rusted shackles break off his wrists and ankles, as warm palms started to feed his weakened muscles chakra._

_“I know you’re weak, but we need to leave as soon as possible, before they figure out I broke in. Once they learn that I’m helping you, no matter what status I am, they will turn on me too.”_

_His insistence was starting to give Sasuke a headache._

_“Then why help me, if you’ll be put in the exact same position you’re fighting so hard to get me out of?”_

_“Didn’t I tell you this before? I brought you back home after three long years and I'm never letting you go ever again. I love you, and I can't ever imagine living without you by my side.”_

_“Stupid usuratonkachi.”_

_“Ha. I guess I am, aren’t I?”_

_~_

_Outside the Konoha gates, the scrape of metal on metal echoed on the dirt path, as Sasuke deflected yet another kunai aimed straight for his face._

_“Uchiha Sasuke, if you keep interfering with our fight like this, then your punishment will end up more severe than what has already been decided.”_

_Sasuke spit out a mouthful of blood. As soon as they had left the prison, alarms went off in all directions, informing the whole village of their escape. They were immediately met with a large number of ANBU, who Naruto swiftly dispatched, becoming mortally wounded in the process. Unfortunately, they (or rather, Sasuke, who was carrying Naruto) hadn’t made it very far until they were intercepted again just outside the village, this time by jounin and chunin on patrol._

_‘These newbies are quite cocky for their level. Do they know who I am? I may be weak, but I could easily slice them into cubes if I wanted to now that I finally have my sword back. Only thing is, I don’t want to become an even bigger threat than I already am.’_

_Sasuke spread his chakra sensing to a wider area, and sensed a large number of shinobi closing in on them from all sides. He had to end this soon._

_“Look. I’m the one you want, right? So you can take me. I won’t put up a fight. But let him go, since all he did was aid in my escape.”_

_“I’m afraid we can’t do that. He killed numerous amounts of ANBU on his way here in a mere matter of seconds. We can’t just let him go after committing a crime as great as that.”_ _  
_ _As if on cue, the shinobi that were closing in came into his view above the treetops, as the chunin and jounin already fighting him launched at him for another attack. Just as Sasuke steadied himself to counterattack, he felt warm golden chakra envelop him from all sides. He turned back swiftly to face his protector._

_“Stop! You’re wounded and chakra depleted! Don’t transform!”_

_Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears, as the large handful of shinobi closed in. As the boy was so busy defending from the front, he failed to sense the ninja coming from the back, sword in hand, positioned to impale him right in the back. The weapon swiftly closed the space between the two, the blade glaring from the sun, reflecting the blood it was beginning to shed._

_“NARUTO!”_

~

Sasuke gasped for air as he continued to stare at the three-pronged weapon. He shook his head in disbelief.

_'Ugh, he’s not there. What am I doing?'_

~

_Luckily, before it could cause any fatal damage, Naruto had swung around, effectively blocked the attack, and continued to strike the ninja that had almost killed him, knocking him so far back into the forest that Sasuke couldn’t see or sense him anymore. The nine tails then let out a dense wave of chakra, effectively severely injuring everyone in a fifty meter radius (the exception being Sasuke, obviously)._

_Sasuke hated feeling helpless. As he stared up at the large beast in front of him, he fell to his knees as he struggled to find his voice._

_“Naruto, please stop!”_

_The nine tails looked down at the raven for one last time, before he bounded down the dirt road, away from Konoha, and away from Sasuke._

_‘I’m sorry. I guess it would be better if you stayed here since all I seem to do is mess things up for you. Although I need you to keep going, you don’t need me, and that’s all I need to know to keep you safe.’_

_Sasuke stared at the retreating figure as tears began to well in his eyes._

_“Hey, where do you think you’re going? Fuck, don’t leave! What about the promise you made me?”_

_He collapsed into the dirt in defeat, as the blown away shinobi gradually made their way back and restrained him._

_He didn’t put up a single fight. The only sign of resistance was the one final tear he shed as he was thrown back in his cell._

_~_

_“Find him and bring him back as swiftly as possible, Sasuke. Without him, all of Konoha is completely crumbling. I have decided to step down and have Kakashi as my replacement for hokage, but there is only so much we can do. The people are becoming more restless and violent each day. I usually don’t beg, but please. Bring Naruto back, or all of Konoha will destroy itself, until there is nothing left of us except black ash.”_

_Sasuke stared at the woman in front of him, as she finished her final message. He watched as the usually strong and stable woman shed her tears, in lost hope that they would find Naruto again._

_‘I have to be strong. Not just for me, but everyone else in Konoha too.’_

_“Yeah. Anyone who expects the dobe to be dead can go fuck themselves.”_

_Tsunade gave him one last glance through red eyes, glossed over from layers of salty tears._

_“We have never once given up. But now it is up to you. Only you, his best friend, will ever have the hope of finding him again.”_

_And so, he set off into his long journey through the foliage of the trees, in search of his long lost friend._

~

Sasuke stared at the now dulled weapon with content.

“So you were here all along, weren’t you, usuratonkachi? Were you able to keep the promise you tried so hard to reach?”

As he closed his eyes, a small crack could be heard from the kunai, before it completely crumbled and blew into the wind, nothing more than scattered ashes.

“What?!”

Chaos could be heard from the workers, as they scrambled to figure out what had just happened to their sample. Orochimaru, especially, was very distressed.

“No no no no no! Somebody please tell me this was all a dream, and this didn’t just disintegrate. Someone, pinch me, kick me, do whatever! Just wake me up from this nightmare! What are we going to do? There was no other weapon like it! Fuck, and it was in such good condition too!”

Completely drowning out the wails of the troubled snake, Sasuke made his way over to the table of other relics that the team had found over the past week. He gingerly picked up a remnant of a blade, and what he saw in it’s mutilated reflection shocked him.

In the blade, he could see the exact boy that he had been dreaming about for the past three years. He looked to be seventeen, with messy blonde hair, tanned skin, whisker marks on his cheeks, and blue eyes, more vibrant than the sky. He adorned a smile so bright, it made the sun dull in comparison.

Next to the boy in his visions, was the boy he had been spending the last few weeks with, Naruto. He had a striking resemblance to the other, with the same shiny grin. Upon looking further, Sasuke’s eyes widened and he held in a gasp as he came to a sudden realization.

The two boys looked exactly the same, and both were calling out to him.

“Teme!”

~

Sasuke winced at the loud rusted creak of the door hinges as he made his way into the ancient office chamber. After coughing out a mouthful of dust, he squinted his eyes from the glaring sun to see a slouched over Naruto in the chair next to the desk, the purple crystal still tight in his grip. 

_That dobe. Leave it to him to fall asleep on a chair in the middle of the day._

Naruto looked extremely peaceful as he slept. Sasuke gingerly reached his hand out, so as to not wake the blonde up, and rested it onto the other’s soft face, gently stroking his cheek.

He looked at the stone still clutched tightly in Naruto’s hand, then let his gaze wander around the room. His eyes finally fell onto the cluttered shelf hidden in the back right corner of the room’ A small smile began to form itself on his lips.

“I think I can finally say I understand now. This necklace, this shelf, and this room. It’s all yours, isn’t it, Naruto?”

~

_The hiss of his golden chakra slowly snaking its way back into his systems was the only sound that could be heard in Konoha, or at least what was left of it. He felt his eyes widen at the desolate sight._

_Everything that he had once known was gone. Buildings were destroyed to rubble and burned to ashes. Belongings were haphazardly thrown around, in a last ditch effort to save what they could. Blood had stained the floor and walls, tainting the whole area in a red stain that could never be washed out, no matter how hard you scrubbed._

_And bodies._

_Corpses lie all over the place. Some were burned, others crushed, others so mutilated by knives and kunai you would have never been able to tell they were human._

_Tears fell from his eyes as his knees gave out. He wretched all over the ground, shaking from his convulsions and his fear._

_“It’s all my fault, isn’t it? I left for four years, and when I come back, everybody is dead. Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei, Tsunade-baa-chan! They’re all dead, and there’s nothing I can do about it now except live with the burden of knowing it was my fault.”_

_“Even Sasuke, who I tried so hard to protect, that I was so blinded by my own selfish desires that I ended up killing him with my own bare hands. Sasuke, who I loved so much, is now gone, and I never got to say goodbye.”_

_He lay collapsed on the ground, as his never ending stream of tears soaked in the ashen dirt. It wasn’t until the sun set that he shakily rose onto his feet and made his way into the village, determined to give the victims a proper burial._

_~_

_“Well jiisan, this is my stop! Will you be alright on your own?”_

_“Oh don’t worry about me! I should be thanking you for accompanying me all the way here, in fact. Anyways, isn’t this the ruins of Konohagakure? I thought nobody lived here anymore after those riots.”_

_Naruto stiffened up considerably at the reminder._

_“Ah, sorry if I stepped on a sore spot. This must be sensitive for a kind lad like you. I understand.”_

_“Haha. It’s alright. Recently, I've been able to start moving on. I actually left Konoha before the riots even started, and didn’t come back until they were already over. I felt, and still feel extreme pain for my friends, family, and citizens who fell victim to this crisis. I buried them each one by one and gave them each a proper funeral. It was the least I could do since I did nothing to prevent it in the first place.”_

_He took a deep breath before continuing._

_“But, when I was burying the corpses, I saw every single familiar face I could think of, except for one. I think that he is still somewhere out in the world, and I want to be able to find him one day. I had made a promise with him a long time ago, that I would always stay by his side, so when I see him again, I won’t break that vow I had made as a child ever again.”_

~

“Hn, I should have known. Knowing from your nindo, it isn’t like you to go back on your word isn’t it, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto’s eyes slowly drifted open, as he adjusted his blurry vision to the blinding light of the sun.

“Oh, Sasuke-san. Is it ok for you to be away from Orochimaru-san?”

Sasuke slid his hand from the blonde’s cheek to fork through his soft hair, as he pulled his head into a soft embrace.

“I don’t need to be there anymore, I’m sorry.”

Although he tried his best to hide it, Naruto was thoroughly confused.

“Why are you apologizing to me? If you figured out what you needed to, then I couldn’t be happier. What’s strange is, I actually had one of those hallucinations just now. I dreamt of coming back to this tower after years of being gone, and cleaning out this very room, and setting up the shelf. Maybe, sometime in the past, Sasuke-san and I were able to live together before we were reincarnated. I hope that was the case, although my hopes are not high.”

Naruto’s mouth turned at the corners to flash a bright grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Truth was, he was on the verge of tears.

“Goodbye Sasuke-san. I’m happy to have been able to spend time with you and decorate the shelves together. I hope whoever you were searching for was able to keep their promise.”

_You might not remember anything from our pasts, but the truth is, you have never stopped trying to find me._

He pulled his hands back, to the other’s surprise, with a small sigh. He then bent over to eye level and leaned forward, and captured Naruto’s lips in his for a soft kiss.

“Yeah. Although I didn’t know it then, you were always by my side.”

~

“What?! You’re staying behind here?!”

Sasuke resisted the urge to cover his ears as he winced at the volume of Orochimaru’s outburst, although he couldn’t blame him for being surprised. He was still getting over his decision himself.

“Yeah. I was able to find a conclusion to all of my visions, all thanks to you being willing to bring me to this place. Sorry for all of the trouble I put you through.”

Orochimaru let out a long sigh in defeat.

“Ugh. I can’t believe you were already thinking about living here. And here I am still upset about what the hell happened to the disintegrated weapon. Such a good sample gone to waste.”

He immediately perked up after, however, and flashed Sasuke a thin smile.

“Well, it’s alright. I still have Kabuto and the Sound 5, at least. For some reason, I can’t help but feel satisfied knowing that the two of you are together, even if I am a little irked about you ditching me with no prior notice. But you better be sure to tell me about what happened in those visions later! You owe me at least that much!”

As Sasuke turned to take his leave with Naruto by his side, he spared one last glance at the man behind him. In the silhouette of the snake’s face, he saw the sly man that had been his mentor for three years. He couldn’t help but smile at those catastrophic memories the two of them had made together. They definitely weren’t happy ones, but they served as a good learning experience for him, that was for sure. He would surely miss his pasty acquaintance. 

“Sasuke-kun!”

As he was about to turn the corner of the hallway, he looked back to see Orochimaru calling to him one last time.

“I take it you were able to finally keep that promise you had made?”

“Yeah.”

~ 

The walk along the lake was a very pleasant one. The sun filtered through the trees and glistened on the water. A small breeze rippled little waves that lapped at their exposed toes. As Sasuke walked behind the overly energetic boy in front of him, he couldn’t help but smile.

_'Naruto’s memories are extremely vague and sparse, and we have no idea whether or not he will ever gain more, just like how I did. But that doesn’t matter to me anymore. As long as we were able to keep our promise, and can walk towards a better future, together this time, I am perfectly happy staying by your side.'_

In front of him, Naruto spotted something of his interest and bent down to pick it up. He turned back to show his new companion, with a smile on his face. In the soft sunlight, Sasuke could see the reflection of the old Naruto. He was in an orange tracksuit this time, but his smile was still exactly the same.

He looked down into the blonde's hand, and saw the jade-green rock he had collected. He gingerly plucked it out of his palm and held it against the golden sun.

_'What shall we do together today?'_

~

_He was tired. So, extremely tired. Even though he was considered one of the best shinobi in the world, five years of nonstop traveling would have definitely taken a toll on anybody, no matter how strong you had claimed yourself to be. He considered himself lucky he was still able to walk, let alone breathing. But that didn’t stop him from feeling horrible pain, in his body, mind, and spirit._

_While in Amegakure, he had heard news of the collapse of a village, Konohagakure, to be exact. After doing some digging around, he learned how after years of unrest, the village had finally torn itself apart and into the ground in a series of riots. From what he had heard, nobody had survived, not even the Hokage-sama himself. He had failed his duty that everybody had so reliantly depended on him to fulfill._

_Upon confirming the grave news, Sasuke gave up on his search. It had been five years. If he couldn’t find Naruto in that long of a time window, who was to say he’d find him now? And now that the village was gone, he had no purpose anymore. He may not have liked it there, but he had a home, and people who at least somewhat cared about him._

_But now, he had absolutely nothing at all._

_It rained during his entire trip back. He used what little chakra he hadn’t completely exhausted to make sure he didn’t drown in the frequent mudslides._

_As he neared the decimated village, the skies began to clear up. By the time he had reached the gates, the clouds were completely gone, and the sun was shining overhead. But it did nothing to lighten his mood._

_As he entered through the gates, he was completely horrified._

_Everything was gone. Every person, every building, every little attribute that made Konoha home, was gone. In its place, was miles upon miles of the same ashen ruins, the once colorful village now a vast, dull gray wasteland. As he wandered through the village (or what was left of it, at least), he noticed something was very off._

_Somebody had been here before him._

_If nobody had survived, then why was there not a body in sight? What about blood, weapons, and other belongings? He also noted how the area was extremely neat for a place that had been completely destroyed. Whoever was here last had put a lot of time into cleaning the place up._

_He continued to look around for clues, and after around five minutes, he noticed something very off about the place that made him facepalm for not realizing before._

_The hokage tower was completely intact. In fact, it seemed to be in even better condition than before he had left._

_As he neared the tower, he was starting to sense a growing chakra signature. It was extremely familiar, judging from the way his own was reacting, but he wasn’t able to figure out who it was exactly. He quickly masked his chakra, so it wouldn’t alert whoever was there, and slowly crept into the building (he was fairly confident in his stealth, so he was able to make his way around fairly quickly). When he got to the second floor, the signature was gradually getting stronger. It was slowly starting to get overwhelming even for him._

_The chakra signature was strongest when he stood in front of the door to the hokage's office. It had such a strong presence, it almost forced him to his knees (but of course he didn’t, because he’s an Uchiha, and Uchihas never bow down to others, no matter how strong). In case of a threat, he readied his hand on his sword, and braced himself for the worst outcome._

_What he saw, however, was not in the least what he was expecting._

_There, sitting in the middle of the room, was Naruto._

_Naruto. The boy he had spent five tirelessly years to find, was now sitting right in front of him. He turned around, alarmed at the sudden intrusion, but before he could even get out of his seat, Sasuke had already tackled him in a tight embrace, and proceeded to shamelessly cry into his shoulder. He had his Naruto back._

_“S-Sasuke?!”_

_“Yes Naruto, it’s me.”_

_Soon enough, Naruto felt his own tears start to trickle down his face as he returned the hug._

_“Sasuke, I’m so sorry. I promised to keep you safe and I failed.”_

_“Shh, Naruto. It’s ok. I’m here now, and I will never let you go again.”_

_He leaned back just enough to pull Naruto into a long kiss. It was sloppy and sticky from all of their tears, but neither of them paid any mind. They finally had the other back. When they pulled apart for air, both were smiling._

_“You were finally able to keep your promise, usuratonkachi.”_  
  



End file.
